Fall of Mahas: Key Timelines, Impact and Significance

GOOBJOOG NEWS|HIIRAAN: On July 27, 2025, Al‑Shabaab fighters stormed Mahas in Hiraan region, approaching from multiple directions and deploying suicide bombers in coordinated attacks. The attack follows the reported withdrawal of Somali National Army troops and the Ma’awisley militia.

The militants reportedly took control of the town marking a return after over a decade of control by Somali government and Ethiopian forces. Mahas District Commissioner Issa Abdi Wayel told journalists that a regional commandant of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) was among the casualties.

Timeline of the Offensive

On January 4, 2023, Al-Shabaab launched a deadly bomb attack in Mahas town killing at least 19 people. The militants detonated two cars packed with explosives. More than 50 people were injured.

In late March 2025, Awdhiigle, Bariire, and Saabid fell to Al-Shabaab militants in Lower Shabelle. Only Saabid was retaken by government forces.

In early April 2025, Al‑Shabaab forces crossed the Shabelle River and captured Aboorey and Beero Yabal, establishing footholds in eastern Hiraan. Somali forces briefly resisted but ultimately withdrew.

By mid April, the group launched assaults on Adan Yabal, a key crossroads in Middle Shabelle, capturing it after government forces retreated following intense fighting

Strategic Significance
Mahas had been under government control for over a decade, serving as a forward-operating base for operations into Hiraan and Galgaduud. Its loss removes a key staging ground against Al‑Shabaab and projects the group’s growing reach in central Somalia. The town’s fall sharply underlines weaknesses in coordination and control across federal and local forces.

Mahas’ Fall and Impact

Mahas had been one of the few remaining government‑held towns in southeastern Hiraan. Its fall leaves Somali forces with minimal territorial control in the area and signals Al‑Shabaab’s renewed ability to link support zones from southern to central Somalia.

The seizure of Mahas reflects persistent challenges: fractured coordination between the Somali National Army (SNA), NISA, and clan militias, logistic constraints and waning international air support. Analysts have long noted stalled momentum in government operations following initial gains in 2022–2023. The capture of towns like Bal’ad, Adan Yabal, Sumadale, Awdheegle, and now Mahas also reflects al‑Shabaab’s ability to reclaim terrain and challenge government presence in central Somalia.

Security analysts warn that breakdown in territorial integrity across central Somalia undermines the government’s capacity to sustain recovered areas. Combined with political divisions, uneven clan backing, and the impending drawdown of AU forces, the fall of Mahas underscores Somalia’s fragile security grip.